Michigan

Kohlrabi Round Two: In the Schools

Missed the first post on the process of procuring local kohlrabi for the schools? Catch up here.

To continue kohlrabi’s journey from farm to school, on December 18th Mark Coe from Farm to Freezer taught a group of third graders at Traverse Heights Elementary all about the low, stout cultivar of cabbage.

Stephanie and Mark discussing the process of growing kohlrabi to Mrs. Littlefield-Dungjen’s third grade class

Students were given the opportunity to use their senses to explore the strange new vegetable and record notes on their fun fact sheet titled “Is it an alien or a vegetable? It’s kohlrabi!”. They discovered the vegetable comes in a variety of colors and sizes (from purple to green and from less than 1lb to greater than 6lbs ). Finally, they learned that kohlrabi is a stellar source of vitamin C, potassium and fiber. Best of all, we prepared it in the classroom and they eagerly tried it two ways: blanched and sauteed!

Mikaela sauteing the kohlrabi using Traverse Heights’ very own cooking kit!

So how did the kohlrabi fare? In Mrs. Littlefield-Dungjen’s third grade class, over 91% of students loved or liked it blanched, and over 91% loved or liked it sauteed!

Sharing the joy outside of the classroom, on January 19th, all the students at Traverse Heights got the opportunity to try Roasted Kohlrabi Fries in a cafeteria-wide taste test. Bonnie Gotshall (PE-NUT educator) assisted with the taste test and Tom Freitas (Food and Nutrition Services Director for Traverse City Area Public Schools) and Jodi Jocks (Registered Dietitian) stopped by to show their support!

Though the pepper on the kohlrabi fries deterred some students, it still performed well, with over 65% of students voting that they loved or liked the new recipe!

If you have yet to try this vegetable, consider throwing it raw on a salad, roasting it with Parmesan cheese, or sauteing it for dinner tonight! Need more inspiration: here are the top five ways to prepare kohlrabi.